Bach V Chopin; mano a mano

[WindRavenX]

Who walks away victorious?
I've been listening to Bach all evening, and I must say, I think he has an edge over Chopin....

[Goldmund]

1. I definitely concur.

Although I prefer the Romantic period over Baroque in 99% of cases, Bach kicks Chopin's skinny ass any time.

[catzies]

2. Today is J.S. Bach's 320th birthday. Bach is a superior composer overall

But Chopin's solo piano pieces, in all their infinite variety, are sublime.

[WindRavenX]

3. yes, very relaxing

I usually listen to his stuff when I'm tired and need to rest.

[MrSlayer]

4. Bach for sure.

Such intensity and innovation. Used the "forbidden" modes, the Heavy Metal of Classical Music.

[progmom]

5. gotta go with bach

He'd totally have been a jazz musician if he had been born in the 20th century!

[sakabatou]

6. Bach

Chopin was a "sissy". Too depressed to fight.

[Merope215]

7. Bach. n/t

[JVS]

8. On a piano Chopin wins by a little, everything else Bach wastes him

Also, had Bach had acccess to the modern piano (pianos were flimsy affairs in his day) he would have done something that would kick Chopin's ass.

[progressor]

17. I was about to say...

the piano as we know it didn't exist.

Of course, if you want to talk about harpsichord, it's Bach hands down! Or up, as the case may be.

I did some research at Wikipedia because this piqued my interest - Bach died in 1750 and the oldest surviving/known pianofortes date back to about 1720, so he would have been around for their infancy.

I learn something new every day!

[jdots]

9. Bach cooks Chopin is muzak

Bach on you party animal !

[WindRavenX]

10. these threads crack me up

There's something funny about reading about theoretical fist-fights between classical music composures...

[JohnKleeb]

11. composures?

Yeah its funny. To be honest I really dont know, Ive heard more Bach than Ive heard Chopin. I really like that Adagio For Strings piece myself.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Just played St Matthew Passion yesterday afternoon...

"Erbarme Dich" is Romantic Sturm und Drang 30 years ahead of its time.

“Erbarme dich, mein Gott, um meiner Zähren willen! Schaue hier, Herz und Auge weint vor dir Bitterlich.”

“Have mercy, my God, for my tears’ sake. Look hither, heart and eyes weep bitterly before Thee.”

[Radical Activist]

13. Bach wasn't known in his own time.

So I say that Chopin knocks Bach's out. But then Bach comes back later with Mozart and some of his friends and beat the living crap out of Chopin. Bach wins in the end.

[GaYellowDawg]

14. Apples/oranges.

I've played piano for over 20 years, and I never found a piano composer that I liked better than Chopin.

Frankly, though, I think it's kind of like apples and oranges. They lived in two entirely different musical eras. One might very well compare Bach to Vivaldi, Scarlatti, or Handel (Bach and Vivaldi run neck-and-neck with me). One might also compare Chopin to Liszt, Schumann, or Mendelssohn (I like Chopin here).

I think that comparing Bach to Chopin is a little like comparing Glenn Miller to Aerosmith. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me because they were from different times.

[saltpoint]

15. Have to have all that sound from the 19th Century Chopin --

-- piano, but need also the labyrinthine Buddha mystery of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in B-flat minor.

I enjoy Bach for breakfast and Chopin for the night hours.

[tjwmason]

16. Bach by a mile

Seriously I think he is the strongest competitor for greatest composer ever (Chopin is down in the first division - to use an English football metaphor).

The whole well-tempered system is still the basis for the large majority of music.

Also managing to fit in an array of sproglets must count as a plus point

**Bad joke alert**

Why did Bach have so many children?
Because his organ had no stop.